Houdini Master of Illusion
By Clinton Cox
Scholastic, $16.95
ISBN 0590949608

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Magical biography a treat for tricksters

I only know one magic trick, but it's a pretty good one -- a card trick that invariably leaves my audience mystified if I do it right. I learned it when I was a kid, and I still pull it out from time to time. That's the great thing about magic -- once you learn it, you never forget how, and because it's a skill, you can pass it on. I think that's why people, especially the young, are attracted to the story of Harry Houdini. We are amazed, even today, at the audacity and cleverness of his tricks. Clinton Cox's new biography, Houdini, is geared toward a young audience, but while he speaks to them at their level, he never talks down to his readers. There's none of the breathless prose you sometimes get in biographies for young people, and because Cox is aware of their sophistication level, he doesn't pull any punches either.

The man the world knew as Harry Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. He immigrated with his family to America in 1876, living first in Wisconsin and later in New York City. Drawing on Houdini's diary and correspondence, as well as newspapers and reviews of his performances, Cox portrays the young man's life as a uniquely American success story. His transition from poor child to ambitious magician to world-renowned entertainer is not dissimilar to the life of Ford or Carnegie. Cox also shows us that -- while drive and nerve will get you far -- being all-consumed with work, even something as "fun" as being a professional magician, can lead to sorrow or, as in Houdini's case, an early death.

Cox is unafraid to tell us about the dark sides of Houdini's character: his adultery, his vindictiveness, his interest in spiritualism and his odd obsession with his mother are presented for us to make our own judgments.

Houdini isn't a book for the very young reader, but the sophisticated pre-teen or teenager with an interest in magic will come away with a better understanding of the way entertainment used to be, and in many ways still is. And they'll enjoy a good read, which is the best magic of all.

James Neal Webb will show you his card trick -- he just won't show you how he does it.